Ignite
by PoisonLipz
Summary: Adrianna has just moved up from the exciting NYC to dull, boring Nevada. She wasn't expecting anything exciting to happen to her. That is, until she meets Sam Witwicky, a handsome, funny classmate that takes her on the most breathtaking ride of her life.
1. Prolouge

Discalimer:

I _do not_ own anything but Adrianna and an assorted cast of characters invented for the sake of my own plot, which I own as well. This will be my © 2009 copyright on everything that _I_ own. Transformers belongs to Hasbro toy line, Stephen Spielberg and Michael Bay.

The loud screeching of the alarm clock that sat atop my bedside table awoke me from my peaceful slumber. Groaning, I turned onto my side and tapped the button that shut off the alarm. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I looked at the clock to see it read 6:01. Deciding that it was time to get up, I sat up on the bed and let my legs dangle from the edge. Running a hand through my tangled locks, I let out a sigh before grabbing my towel and heading to my bathroom.

Locking the door, I slipped out of my PJs and stepped into the shower. After washing my hair and everything else, I wrapped a towel around my body and one around my hair. As I brushed my teeth, I could hear my Mom scurrying about downstairs, fixing breakfast. A small laugh escaped my lips upon hearing the clutter of pots and pans hitting the ground. She was an excellent cook, but very clumsy.

After I was done, I ran my blow dryer through my hair until it was dry. I then took out the curling iron and fixed my hair the way I liked it: loose curls.

Finished with that, I looked for a nice, comfortable outfit to wear. Seeing as how it was already 78 degrees, I picked out a pair of white Capris and a light blue checkered blouse. I found a pair of blue flats that would go well, so I grabbed those before descending down the stairs, into the kitchen.

"Good morning, honey," my Mom greeted me. She seemed really perky as she scrambled the eggs that were cooking on the stove.

"Why so cheery this morning?" I asked, gesturing to her unusual giddiness.

"No reason. Just woke up in a good mood."

"Mom, no one wakes up in a good mood. Everyone in the world - no matter how much they want to deny it - wakes up in a bad mood," I explained to her, a hint of laughter in my voice.

"Why do you always have to get so technical?"

"It's in my blood," I smiled.

"I'm trying to keep a smile on for you. Hopefully, it'll make today easier for you."

"Hopefully," I said as she handed me my breakfast. "What's the name of the school again?"

"John Marshall. John Marshall High School."

"Right."

"Oh come on, Hun. It won't be that bad."

"All parents say 'it won't be that bad,' when, in actuality, it will be 'that bad.'"

"Well what's the problem? Are you nervous? Scared of the kids?"

"For your first question: I'm not nervous now, but I will be once I actually get to the school. And the second question: no. I'm not scared."

"Well then there's nothing to worry about. I'm gonna go get ready," she announced, already heading up the stairs.

"You know, it would be a lot easier if you would just let me take my bike," I shouted from where I was sitting.

"You know I don't like you riding that thing."

A small laugh escaped my lips as I finished my breakfast.

When I was done, I washed up whatever dishes there were and went back up to my room to finish getting ready.

Grabbing my single strap bag, I packed my notebooks inside, then added my cell phone, iPod, wallet and keys. Walking over to the mirror, I applied some eye liner, mascara and gray eye shadow to my face. Finishing with a little lip gloss, I grabbed my bag and walked back downstairs to see my Mom waiting patiently at the door.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked with a smile. I walked out before her, pausing while she locked the door, then walking with her to the car.

We stopped in front of the school. The name John Marshall could be read as you walked up the stairs that led inside the school.

"Okay, I'll be out of work by 2:30 so that I can pick you up, then I'll probably have to leave for work again," my Mom explained.

"Okay." She looked at me for a while before giving me a small hug and a pat on the back.

"Have a good day," she said with a smile.

"I'll try. I promise." She gave me one last kiss on the cheek before I got out of the car. I watched as she drove down the street, out of eyesight.

That's when the nervousness kicked in.

I turned around and faced the steps of the school before walking up the stairs. As I got inside, I didn't see many people. Seeing as how it was only a little after seven, not a lot of people showed up yet.

I walked until I got to the office. I walked in and saw a lady sitting behind the desk. She was a thin, dangly woman with blond hair and brown eyes. Upon seeing my enter, her face lit up in excitement.

"Hello. What can I do for you sweetheart?" she asked with a genuine smile.

"Hi. I'm new here and I'm supposed to get my schedule."

"Oh yes. Adrianna Nadal?" she asked, even though it sounded like more of a confirmation than an actual question.

I nodded and waited patiently while she left her desk and made her way towards me, a few papers in hand.

"Okay, this is your schedule, your home room number and your locker number," she stated, handing me a sheet of paper. "This paper needs to me signed by all your teachers to confirm that you've been in class."

"Okay."

"You should have all of your books by the end of the day. Hand me this paper before you leave, and... Welcome to John Marshall!" she finished.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement. "Thank you," I replied with a smile before exiting the office.

'Okay, Locker number 34,' I thought as I scanned the beige colored halls for my locker. I found it with ease, right between the bathroom and one of the classrooms.

After storing a few notebooks in there, I proceeded on to find my home room. That was easy to find as well, since the first number of each room indicated what floor the room was on. For me, my home room was room 207.

I walked inside, being one of the only few people already in the class, and was instantly greeted by the teacher.

"Ah, you must be the new student. Ms. Nadal, is it?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm Mr. Craston. I'll be your home room teacher, and, if I'm not mistaken, your US History teacher."

"Yeah," I answered, glancing down at the schedule in my hands, "yeah, that's about right."

"And I believe I have to sign some paper?"

"Yes," I replied, handing him the signature sheet. He signed both the HR teacher line and the US History teacher line.

"Here you go. Just make sure you get the rest of your teachers to fill that out, and... that's about it. Welcome to John Marshall High," he ended triumphantly.

"Thank you," I smiled before taking a seat in the back of the classroom.

I listened to my iPod until the bell for home room rang through the halls. By that time, everyone was already in the room, and none glances and whispers that came my way escaped me. They all saw me now, and they were all wondering, 'Who the heck is that?'

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Mr. Craston announced. Everyone, including myself, looked up to listen to whatever he was about to say.

"Alright, as all of you must already know, we have a new student joining our school today."

Oh No.

"Her name is Adrianna Nadal. She's in the back right there." At that statement, they all turned around and looked at be. I instantly looked down, pulling some loose hair out of my face. Once Mr. Craston continued speaking, all eyes were off me again, and I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Now, I want you all to be respectful and make her feel welcome here. Understand?"

They all said "Yes sir" in unison, rather unenthusiastically. They were either uninterested, or they just didn't care.

'Oh, this is gonna be a long day.'

"Did you get a glimpse of the new girl? Damn!"

"Where the hell did she come from?"

"She is smokin' hot!"

"Parading in here like she owns the school!"

"I'd like to get with her!"

"And the guys won't stop looking at her!"

"Hell yeah!"

Those were only few of the comments that I heard all day. I was thrilled to hear the last bell of the day ring. This was just too much to take in one day.

Just one day, and most of the girls didn't like me (and mind you, I barely said a word to any of them), and all of the guys wanted to get with me. I practically ran out the class upon hearing the final bell of the day ring. I was dying to get home.

While I was grabbing whatever I needed from my locker, I heard someone come up behind me. Turning around, I came face-to-face with one of the guys who were in a few of my classes. I let my eyes roam, examining him.

Tall, very built, blond hair hidden behind a dark blue cap, green eyes. From his appearance, I could already sense the smug personality he had.

"You're the new girl, Adrianna, right?" he spoke first. I simply nodded, so he continued.

"I'm Trent. I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat? Gimme a chance to get to know you better."

I waited a couple of seconds before answering. I didn't want to be mean, but I wasn't gonna say yes."

"Umm... I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm assuming you're a jock, right? On the football team?"

"That's right. Quarter back," he smirked.

"Well, you're very attractive, I'm not gonna lie." This only made him smile more.

"But, seeing as how you're the star quarter back, I would think that you already have a girl. Probably not a permanent girlfriend, but a girl. And quite frankly, I'm not about to get into the middle of that," I finished, closing my locker shut.

"Besides, I'm not interested anyway." With that, I left him staring at my retreating figure as I exited the building.

I waited in front of the school, leaning on the metal gate and listening to my iPod.

It only took a couple of minutes before Mom drove up in her car. I quickly got in the passenger's seat, slamming the door shut.

"So... I'm guessing you had a bad day?" she asked as she began driving away.

"Mommy, you should have heard some of these people. The things that they say about people who they don't even know. It's unbelievable."

"I'm sorry, honey. Hopefully tomorrow will better."

"After today, I've pretty much given up on hope, Mom."

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm feeling very accomplished today. Despite the fact that I have a fever and should be in bed, I was able to get this chapter out. Seeing as how Shia LaBeouf's birthday is June 11, and my finals start that day, I wanted to get it out now.**

**Sorry there was no Sam in here, but I promise he'll be in the next one. And if you're still here, Thanks for reading!**

**Sincerely,**

**PoisonLipz**


	2. Run Ins

"She's amazing," he spoke in a daze, staring at the girl who sat only a few feet away, searching for something on one of the computers in the school library. He quietly observed her figure- She stood about 5"7' with dark, burgundy hair that fell past her shoulders in loose curls. Bright, piercing green eyes. Curvy body. Evenly proportioned. She was beautiful.

"Sam, you haven't even talk to her yet. And how long has she been here, like, a month?"

"I can't just go up and talk to her. She doesn't even know I exist," he replied, eyes still glued on her.

"She can't be that bad, dude. I mean, no one can be more of a bitch than Mikaela."

"Mikaela's not a bitch, Miles."

"Maybe not, but you've got to admit. New girl out scores Mikaela on the hot scale."

"Of course she does. Do you know how many guys have asked her out already?"

"Practically the entire football team. You know, I think they have a bet going on to see who could get to her first."

"Yeah, so you know what that means?"

"What?"

"She's not into jocks. I mean, every jock that has asked her out, she turned them down on the spot. So, you know, that kinda gives me an advantage," he explained, still watching her from afar. His eyes went wide when he saw her stand up and stroll in their direction.

"Oh crap. Dude, she's coming over," Sam mumbled to his friend while shuffling awkwardly in his seat. He and Miles weren't actually doing work on the computers they were on, so they rushed to open up some old assignment.

They silently watched as she looked for a particular book on a nearby shelf.

"See? Not only is she pretty, but she's smart too. Now, so far, I've seen no flaws," Sam whispered.

"Yeah, but you don't know what kind of person she. She may look good on the outside, but inside, she could be a bitch," Miles retorted.

"Would you stop calling everyone a bitch?"

"Alright. Well, if she seems so great, just go talk to her before she finds someone else," Miles suggested, watching as she grabbed the book she was searching for and return to her previous seat.

"Alright, alright. I'll talk to her today..... hopefully.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Maybe I could take you out and show you around-"

"I gotta tell you, as tempting as that offer sounds, I'm gonna have to decline."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not planning on being a trophy that you can carry on your arm," I spoke with a stoic face.

A month. Within a month, I have lost track of the number of guys that have asked me out. I probably would have considered accepting their invitations if I hadn't found out about the game that a few of them had going on. Apparently, the entire football team (and even some who weren't) made bets to see who would get a date with me first.

Of course some of them meant no harm, but most of them were in on the little game, so my responses to their offers have become a little bitter over the past couple of days. I couldn't go a week without being asked out by at least four guys a week. And it was infuriating.

Grabbing my bags off the desk, I walked out of the classroom, leaving Mark.... Max? Well, whatever his name was standing at my desk.

"Damn, girl. You got all the guys drooling at your feet," said Marci. She was the first person that spoke to me when I arrived to the school. She was relatively short, about 5'3" with brown hair and black eyes. She was always very entertaining and refreshing to talk to.

"Yeah, but it's getting very old and very tiring. And very annoying."

"Well, there's an upside, you're giving all the bitchy cheerleaders a run for their money," Marci chuckled.

"Are they really that bad? So far, all I've gotten is dirty looks. And that's only from a few of them."

"They don't want to approach you, because if they do, then everyone will know that they have a problem with you. And they don't want anyone knowing that they're jealous of you."

"You know, back at my old school, I really didn't have this problem."

"Didn't you say you went to a Catholic school before this?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's why. You were all to holy to admit your problems."

"Why does everyone think that public school and Catholic schools are different? The only difference is that we all wear the same clothes," I laughed a bit.

"Maybe."  
Just as I rounded the corner, I collided with someone who was walking towards me. The impact wasn't too hard, but it caused the books the stranger and I were carrying to fall out of our hands.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," were the first words that came out of my mouth. We both scrambled to the floor to pick up the notebooks and loose papers that scattered around due to the collision.

"No, it was me. I wasn't... watching where..." The first thing I picked up was that he was male. And probably in a few of my classes since he sounded kinda familiar.

I grabbed my books and some of his, then stood up quickly, handing him his belongings.

"Here. Sorry, again," I smiled before walking around the guy and his friend.

"You alright?" Marci asked.

"Yeah, just a little embarrassed."

"Ah, nothing wrong with that. Accidents happen, right?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dude! Do you know what just happened?"

"I just bumped into Adrianna," Sam answered.

"Yeah! Man, that was the perfect opportunity for you to talk to her!"

"Yeah Miles, after bumping into her and almost pushing her to the ground, I'm gonna ask her "Hey, wanna go out sometime?""

"Well, I'm just trying to offer some helpful advice here."

"That wasn't helpful advice. That was stupid advice," Sam replied stoically as he opened his locker and placed his books inside. But something he saw didn't belong.

He caught sight of a purple string hanging out of one of his textbooks. Pulling the textbook out, he opened it to the book marked page and watched as a purple frilly bookmark fell on the ground. Coming to an obvious explanation, he quickly flipped to the front cover and saw the last name that was written in perfect script.

Adrianna Nadal

A wide smile appeared on his face as he began tapping his friend's hand to get his attention.

"Miles... Miles, this is her book. I grabbed her book by mistake. Do you know what this means, man?"

"Yeah. You better give her back her book."  
"No, idiot. It means that I'll have to return it to her, so I can talk to her then."

"Finally. You were really starting to sound like a lovesick puppy," Miles joked.

"Shut up, man."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Who knew planning a party would be so much effin work?" Marci said as we handed out invitations in the hall. I had to keep going back and asking her who I was supposed to give an invite to and who I wasn't.

"Well, you have everything panned, right? Isn't the invitations the last thing you have to do?"

"Yeah, but, mind you, this party took me about two months. So I've been planning it form before I even knew you."

"I guess," I chuckled.

"Come on. We can finish handing these out after class. Let's head in before Mr. Walsh has a fit."

Laughing a bit, I headed towards my locker to grab the books I needed for my last class.

"Hey!"

Stopping in front of my locker, I spun around and came face-to-face with the boy I ran into before.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I-I grabbed your book. By accident. When w-we bumped into each other... before."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Here it is," he said grabbing the book out of his bag and handing it to me.

"Thank you. Thanks so much. I needed this for my research paper for Mr. Craston's class."

"Well then, I'm glad I could help. Wouldn't want you failing because of me, or anything," he joked.

"I sure hope not," I smiled after I replaced the book in my locker. Turning around to fully face him, I examined him quietly. Short, dark brown hair. Dark green eyes. Not all muscles, but a very nice build. Overall, very handsome.

"So, what's the... What's the report on?" he asked next.

"Oh, it's on genocides. In my paper, I'm supposed to focus on the main causes of genocides, and explain what happened during the Armenian and Rwanda genocides, and the holocaust."

"We don't have the same history teacher, do we?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Yeah, cause my assignment is less complicated than that. Mr. Hurst is kind of a pushover, so his assignments aren't as hard as some of the other..."

"Sam!" I announced, finally coming to a realization. He stopped mid sentence and stared at me, confused.

"Your name's Sam, right?"

"Umm, yeah."

"Sam Wit... sorry if I say it wrong. Is it Wit-nickey?"

"Close. It's Witwicky, actually," he laughed.

"Witwicky. Sorry. I just recognized you from some of my classes. We have... what, five classes together?"

"F-Five or six," he replied nonchalantly.

"Really? Well, I better get to class. I have Mr. Walsh next, and he can get a little crazy if his students are late."

"Yeah, sure. Of course."

"Um, thanks again... for returning the book," I said again as I began to walk away.

"Yeah, no problem."

"I'll see you around," I waved as I walked the opposite direction from him.

"I'll be looking forward to it," he replied, and I turned and flashed him one last smile before walking into Mr. Walsh's classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Who were you talking to in the hallway?" Marci questioned.

"Hey, wassup. Nice to see you too," I laughed.

"I'm serious!" she giggled.

"His name is Sam."  
"Witwicky?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Somewhat. We're not best friends or anything, but we're cool."

"Yeah, he grabbed my book when we bumped into each other today, and he was just returning it."

"Oh, that's nice. Hey! You should ask him to my party!"

"It's your party. You ask him."

"Aw come on. He's cute, and I could tell that he likes you. I kinda got that vibe," she commented.

"You got a 'vibe' from him returning a book to me?" I inquired, incredulously.

"Come on, come on. Just ask him. You two would be so cute together."

"Ahh..." I waved the idea away, slamming my locker shut. It was too soon for me to think about making him my boyfriend.

"Here. Take this invitation and give it to him personally," she said handing me an invitation.

"No, Marci, I don't want-"

"Sorry babe, gotta go. See you at my house tomorrow at four to set up? Thanks a bunch," she finished, leaving me alone in the hall.

"Marci!" I whined. This girl was going to be the death of me. Even though I didn't want to do it, I knew I was eventually gonna do it.

Placing my earphones on, I walked outside and stood on the front steps. I waited patiently for a few minutes. When he came out, he was rushing down the steps with a paper clutched in his hand.

"Sam!"

He quickly spun around upon hearing my voice and stopped in his tracks. I hurried down the rest of the steps and walked in front of him.

"Hey. What's up?" he greeted.

"Um... You've heard about the party that Marci is having, right?"

"Yeah, everyone's been, uh.. talking about it..." he answered.

"Well, I got the lucky job of giving out the invitations. I'm supposed to give it to people I know and people I know _she _knows, so I came to give you one," I finished, smiling and handing him the invitation.  
"Oh... thanks."

"I know it's kinda last minute and everything, but I didn't really know you until this afternoon. And, I thought that you might like to go."

"It's a pool party?" He stated, reading the details of the invitation.

"Yeah. Marci has this huge pool in her backyard, so..."

"I'll... um... I'll try to make it," he nodded and smiled.

"Ok, great. Oh, and you can bring any other friends, if you want. The more people that show up, the better."

"Alright, sure."

I heard a car horn behind me and I turned around to see my Mom waiting in the car. She pointed to her clock, which meant she hat to return to work.

"That's my Mom, so I gotta go."

"Yeah, of course," he nodded.

"So... I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully," I smiled.

He simply nodded his head, and I bid him one last goodbye before retreating to the car.

"How was school?" She asked after giving me a small hug.

"Eh... school's school," I shrugged.

"Who's that you were talking to?" she questioned next. I knew this was coming.

"That was Sam. He's a classmate," I replied calmly.

"He your boyfriend?"

"No! I just met him today," I laughed.

"Oh... okay."

"Oh, remember that tomorrow is Marci's party, and she asked me to show up at four to help her set up her place."

"Alright. No problem."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
I sat on my bed, typing up my paper for Mr. Craston's class on my laptop. It was supposed to be four pages long, and so far I had two and a half pages typed. I was about to start on my next paragraph when my cell phone buzzed next to me. The screen read "M", so I pressed talk and held the phone to my ear.

"Hey March, what's up?"

"Did you ask him?" she instantly asked.

"Yes, I asked him," I sighed, a small smile on my lips.

"Yes! Now you just have to make sure you look hot tomorrow."

"I'm not going there to impress anybody. I'm just going there to have fun. And help you."

"Then why'd you invite him?" she pressed.

"Because I wanted to!"

"Ha! So you admit it!" she exclaimed.

I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it in defeat. "Shut up," I laughed, and I heard her laugh from her end.

"So, you know what you're gonna wear?"

"I don't know. I have it down to two dresses and two bathing suits. I can't decide yet."

"Well, I've been so busy with everything else, I don't even have my clothes out yet."

"Well what are you doing now?"

"My parents left a few hours ago, so I'm rearranging the house a bit, and taking up all the valuables," she explained.

"Smart move."

"Thank you," she laughed.

I jumped slightly when the phone downstairs began ringing.

"Hold on for a minute, Marce."

"Alright," she said as I placed the phone down on the bed and ran downstairs. I got to the living room where the phone was. I was about to pick it up, but I stopped myself and decided to let the machine answer it. It rang three more times before the beep of the answering machine was heard.  
"Hey Rebecca, it's me. You there?"

I gripped the edge of the couch, closing my eyes and letting out a sigh.

"Well, when you get there, can you call me? I really want to talk to Aide. I mean, she can't avoid me forever," he pleaded.

"The hell I can't," I said quietly to myself. Shaking my head, I walked back upstairs. Upon reaching the top stairs, I heard another beep from the phone, signaling that he hung up.

Re-entering my room, I put my cell back to my ears.

"Sorry about that."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah... everything's fine."

**AN: Okay, I apologize for the long wait, but I had to prepare for the hardest regents of my life, and I'm glad I did, cause I passed with flying colors!**

**Well, I know the end of this chapter was a bit confusing, and maybe some of you have figured it out already, but for those who don't, it'll all be explained soon.**

**I tried my best to keep Sam in character in this, but if you see anything wrong with him, just message me and tell me what to change.**

**I'd like to take this time and thank all the people who have reviewed the story. Your words are very encouraging. Thanks a bunch!**

**Sincerely,**

**PoisonLipz**


	3. Verte

"So, how many people are actually going to be at this thing?" I asked as I pulled the curler out of the ends of my hair. It was a quarter to four, and I was at my house, getting ready for Marci's party.

"I'm not really sure. I think I lost count at 150."

"Jesus. How big is your freakin' house?" I almost laughed.

"Pretty damn big. You'd have already seen it if you'd get here already. Where are you?"

"I'll be there soon. I'm just putting on the finishing touches."

"Oohh, getting all dressed up for Sam?" she commented, putting emphasis on "Sam."

"No... I'm getting ready for your crazy let's-all-get-drunk party," I laughed.

"Hey, don't diss my party. By the way, I don't even know what you're wearing yet."

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" I asked nonchalantly.

"No, you really didn't and I'm very anxious to find out," she pressed.

I let out a small chuckle. "I have on a black sun dress, and it has red flowers all over."

"Cute. What about the bikini?"

"It's a spaghetti strap with a white tiger design, but instead of black and white, it's black and purple."

"Even cuter! Sam won't be able to take his eyes off of you," she teased.

"How do you even know he'll show up? I mean, maybe he already had plans," I asked.

"Because I just know these things."

"Well, if he comes, he comes. If he doesn't, he doesn't."

"But tell me the truth, you want him to show up, don't you?"

"... Yeah. A little bit," I replied honestly. Even though we actually only talked for 5 minutes, there was something about him that I liked. He just seemed like a genuinely good person.

"Ha! I knew it. You like him. Even if it's just a little bit, you like him."

"Whatever," I scoffed.

"Don't get mad cause I'm right. Oh, I gotta go, but hurry up and get over here!"

"Aright, Imma be there soon," I assured her, clicking the speaker phone off after she hung up.

I looked in the mirror, trying to decide how I would do my hair. I pulled my long bangs down the right side of my face, so it was a little bit over my eyes. Since the top of my hair was straight and the ends were curled, I pulled all my hair to the left side and tied it up with a red lace ribbon, letting the curls fall over my shoulder.

Satisfied, I moved on to my makeup. I applied some waterproof eye liner and mascara first, then I added some purple eye shadow over my eyelids. For my lips, I wore a cranberry colored lip gloss.

After doing one last overview in the mirror, I called a cab while packing necessities into my purse. Slipping on my open-toed black strappy heels, I grabbed my bags and my keys and closed my bedroom door.

"You look very nice. Heading off to your friend's party?" my Mom asked as I descended the staircase into the living room. She was seated in front of the coffee table, papers sprawled all over.

"Yup."

"Do you need me to drive you?"

"No, it's okay. I called a cab."

"Alright. So... I've heard a lot about this party, but what you've failed to tell me is when it's over."

"Well, the invitation said... whenever," I answered quietly.

"Well, whenever in this house, is two o' clock, no later than three. And I mean at three o'clock, I'm locking the doors and going to bed, and you're gonna have to sleep outside. Understand?" she ordered. I nodded.

"You know... Shawn called again today."

"Did he really?" I said in mock surprise as I walked towards the door.

"He keeps asking for you, you know," she replied, solemnly.

"Well, he could keep asking, and I'll just keep ignoring him. Bye," I finished as I walked outside.

I stood in front of the house, leaning on the door. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I was not going to get upset. He was not going to upset me today. Today was a day to have fun and let loose. He wasn't going to ruin it for me.

Upon hearing a car horn beep, I opened my eyes to see the cab a few feet away. Pushing myself off the door, I walked up to the car and slid myself inside.

After giving him the directions, I grabbed my cell out of my bag and called Marci.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, what about this one?" Sam asked, showing Miles what was probably his twelfth pair of swim shorts.

"Yeah, that one's good too," he replied, popping a cheese doodle in his mouth.

"Okay Miles, you come into my house, and you eat my food. The least you can do is help me pick out something to wear," Sam pointed out, frustrated.

"Just pick one, dude. I don't see what the big deal is."

"I'll tell you what the big deal is. Adrianna is gonna be there." He stopped and turned around upon hearing his chihuahua barking behind him.

"Jesus, Mojo. What the hell do you want? I just gave you your pain pills, so I'm not giving you anymore. You're gonna OD, and I'm not gonna be responsible for driving your ass to the vet," he said to the tiny dog. He watched as it limped away, whimpering quietly.

"Drug addict," he mumbled, walking back to his closet.

"Man, I don't understand why you're pulling your hair out over some chick."

"She's not just some chick. She didn't have to invite me to this party, but she did. And, she knew my name before I even told her."

"And what's your point?"

"She's cute, and normal, and... she's nice, unlike most of the girls at our school."

"You're going through all this trouble, for one girl, because she's nice?" Miles asked expectantly.

"Dude, are you, like, gonna help me or not? Cause I'm seriously frustrated over here."

"Alright. Just... wear this one," Miles suggested, picking up a pair of green swim trunks.

"No way. I don't like that one."

"Well, then... I mean, you ask me to help you find something to wear at this thing, and I pick something, and you say no."

"Yeah, that's because I want you to pick what I liked," Sam said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're confusing, man."

"Whatever," Sam finished, throwing on a pair of red swim trunks that had skull patterns on it, and paired that with a wife beater.

"Okay, now I just gotta find an outfit."

"Dude, what are you wearing now?" Miles questioned, pointing to his swim wear.

"This is the pool clothes. I can't show up at the doorstep wearing this," he explained, grabbing a pair of jeans shorts and a blue, short-sleeved graphic tee.

'Okay, this looks good. She'll like this, right?' Sam thought as he looked in the mirror. 'Yeah, she'll like it.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Your house... is so huge," I announced as I walked through Marci's living room. It wasn't overly fancy, but it was definitely nice. Two glass curios in the corners, a glass table in the center, a chandelier on the ceiling. Bookshelf,

desk, settees. And this was just the living room.

"I know. My parents are very... into money."

"I'll bet."

"Come with me. I need another opinion on how the pool area looks," she said as she grabbed my hand and led me through the glass doors that revealed the pool.

"Nice pool."

"Thanks," she smiled. I walked to the edge of the pool, examining it.

"What are these for?" I asked pointing to a small glass flower that was embedded into the inside wall of the pool. Looking closer, I could see that it went all around the edges of the pool.

"Oh, that's the cool thing. There's a switch that I can pull when it gets dark, and all the flowers will light up, and illuminate the water," she explained.

"That's cool. But wait, won't the moon already be shining in the water?"

"Yeah, but the moon doesn't make it look as cool," she smirked.

"True," I laughed. We turned towards the front of the house upon hearing the doorbell ring.

"Can you get that for me? I have to go double check the bar."

"You're gonna have a bar full of your parents' liquor open to rowdy teenagers?"

"Who says 'rowdy teenagers?'" she laughed. I crossed my arms, sending her an 'I'm serious' look.

"Don't worry. I took off all the vodka and tequila and the heavy liquor. It's all wine coolers and beer."

"You better make sure," I shouted as I returned inside to answer the door. I jogged to the front door (which was more like hops, due to the fact that I was wearing heels), not wanting to agitate the guest.

I pulled open the door to reveal a boy. He looked about my age, maybe a couple years older. He had on a red graphic shirt and blue jeans with sneakers, and he wore a black cap on his head.

Upon seeing me, he did a double take, then he looked back outside to the other houses surrounding the one I was currently in.

"Sorry, I must have the wrong house. You're not the girl I talked to a week ago," he explained, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"Wait. You're here for Marci's party?"

"Yeah," he smiled a little.

"Then, yeah. You're in the right place. I'm her friend," I smiled back.

"Really? It's nice to meet you. I'm Matt," he introduced, putting out a hand for me to shake.

"Adrianna. Nice to meet you too," I smiled. "Here, come in."

"Oh, yeah, sure," he said after snapping out of the trance he was seemingly in. He released my hand and turned around to grab a few bags that were behind him.

"Do you need any help, or anything?" I asked, concerned.

"Nah, it's al right, I got it," he grunted after grabbing the last of the four bags and swinging it over his shoulder. He walked inside, and I went behind him to close the door.

"So... what are you contributing to this party?" I asked after I returned to his side, guiding him to the backyard.

"I'm, uh... I'm the DJ."

"Really?" I asked in surprise. "You don't look that old."

"Well, technically, you don't have to be old. As long as you know what you're doing, anyone can learn at any age."

"So, I could learn if I wanted to?"

"Well, if you have me as a teacher, it shouldn't be a problem," he smiled. I couldn't help but laugh a bit at that reply. When I looked back up, we had already reached the backyard.

"Marci will be here in a few minutes. I guess, you can set up the equipment. I'll go get her."

He gave me one last nod before I turned around and headed back into the house.

I walked into the kitchen where Marci was, packing all sorts of drinks into a cooler, which was already filled with ice and water.

"Your DJ is here," I informed her.

"Really? Isn't he cute?" she whispered the last question.

"Yeah, and a little bit of a flirt."

"A little? He flirts a lot. But, he's a nice guy, so he's harmless," she said while placing sodas and Coronas inside the cooler.

"Corona?"

"The guys like that," she told me, now placing Coors Lite inside the box.

"Which guys are coming?"

"I told you, I invited most of our class, so that means the jocks are gonna be here too."

"Which consists of most of the guys that asked me out, and I turned down."

"And now, they're gonna get payback by taking a look at your half naked bikini clad body."

"Shut up!" I yelled, giving her a playful push.

"Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure they've forgotten about it by now."

"Yeah, I'm sure," I stated sarcastically.

"Help me take this food outside?" she asked.

"Okay, where is it?" I asked as I walked to the fridge.

"Um, the burgers, chicken and the hot dogs are on the bottom shelf," she told me as she grabbed various huge bags of chips and candy.

"Is this all the food?"

"Nah, there's watermelon and corn and later on, I'm planning on ordering a couple of boxes of pizza," she told me as we walked back outside to the pool. Matt was over in the corner, raised on a high platform, setting up his material.

"Who's gonna be cooking?"

"Oh, there's these two guys that I know from this thing my Mom and Dad are a part of, and they're gonna be in charge of making all the food."

"Aright. I'm pretty sure we're all set for this thing," I said, clapping my hands together.

"Me too. Now, we just gotta wait about..." she paused to check her watch, "about twenty minutes until the people start to arrive."

"Yes, twenty minutes until the craziness starts," I laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The party was set to start at 7:00. At seven o'clock on the dot, about 100 people were already inside the house. The music was already blaring from Matt's station, and the pool was already occupied with guests.

My job was to keep everything in order where the pool was while Marci watched who was coming in the house. I stood by Matt while keeping an eye on everything else. He was explaining to me how everything on the mixer and the turntable worked.

"You see, everyone thinks that all the DJ does is mess around with two disks, but, in actuality, it's a lot harder than that."

"Really? I didn't know that. They always make it seem like all they're doing is moving the disks around," I said, making the movements of a DJ spinning the disks.

"Yeah, I don't know why they do that. I guess it keeps everyone thinking that you have the skills to make really great mixes just by doing... this," he said, imitating someone spinning the disks.

"So how long have you been a DJ?" I asked, interested.

"I started learning about... three years ago."

"Oh yeah? How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen." I nodded. He wasn't that much older than me.

"So what about you?"

"What about me?" I asked with a smile.

"You play any instruments? I just assumed, cause you seem so interested in music and everything," he shrugged.

"Well... I played the guitar for... about five years, then I learned how to play the keyboard."

"Really? Was it hard?"

"Not really. I mean, of course when you just start learning, it's hard to get adjusted to it, but they were both pretty easy to learn. Once I got the hang of it," I explained.

"Hi, excuse me. Can I borrow Aide for a minute?" Marci asked, showing up behind me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," Matt agreed, and Marci immediately pulled me away, towards the inside of the house.

"What's up?" I asked as we got inside the house. She said nothing at first. She just slapped me on my arm. "Oww, what?!"

"Nothing. Only the fact that you and Matt seem to be talking an awful lot and getting really close," she stated.

"Oh come on! We were just talking about music, nothing more. It really is interesting," I assured her.

"Oh yeah? And what if Sam was here to see that? What would he think?"

Since we were still in view of the pool and I was facing the direction of the pool, I could see a bunch of girls looking towards our direction, sending all kinds of dirty looks while whispering to each other.

"Umm, who are those girls looking at, me or you?" I asked Marci. She turned her head and caught a glance at the three girls.

"I don't talk to them, so it must be you."

"Well, I don't talk to them either, so..."

"I don't know."

"Okay.... I could really care less about them right now. Back to Matt, trust me, the most we are is friends. Acquaintances, even," I reassured her, waving off the three girls.

"You better make sure, cause Sam's gonna be here soon, and I don't want you breaking the poor guy's heart."

I took my index finger and traced a cross over my heart. "I promise."

She gave me one last look before returning to the pool. I followed her and walked to the cooler, pulling out a can of Dr. Pepper.

"Her there," I heard someone say from behind me. Removing the can from my lips, I turned around and came face to face with a guy. His face didn't look familiar, so I assumed he didn't go to my school.

"Hey. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I was looking for a guy named Aaron. I was wondering if you've seen him."

"Sorry. I don't even know an Aaron."

"Ah, really? Well, I'm Mike."

"Adrianna," I replied, taking another sip of my soda.

'Why do I feel like he doesn't even know anyone named Aaron?' I thought to myself.

"So, how did you get into the party?" He asked, leaning against the fence we were standing next to.

"I'm actually good friends with the host. You?"

"I'm just friends with one of the guys from the school. I don't even know who's keeping the party."

"Well how did you even-" I stopped mid sentence when I saw some sort of altercation occurring inside the house. The only reason it stuck out to me was because I saw that Sam was in the middle of it.

"Um, excuse me," I said quickly, walking past Mike and towards Sam. Even when I arrived, no one seemed to notice my presence

"Hi. Umm, is there a problem over here?" I asked quickly, watching as all eyes turned toward my direction.

Now that they were all looking at me, I could see who was there. Sam was standing next to a guy that I didn't know, and on the opposite side was Trent with another guy I didn't know.

"No, there's nothing wrong, right Trent?" Sam questioned the jock.

"No... no problem at all," Trent replied, letting his eyes wander over my figure. My eyes narrowed a bit when I saw that he had moved a little closer to me.

"Great, then if everything's okay, please make your way to the backyard," I replied, motioning to the glass doors that led to the pool. I watched as Trent and his friend gave Sam and his friend one last glare before walking outside.

"Sorry about that," Sam spoke first. "These football jocks can be a bunch of-"

"Assholes," I finished with a smile.

"Yeah, pretty much," he laughed, running a hand over his hair.

"Well, I'm glad you could come," I smiled again.

"Oh yeah. Well... you know, I didn't have anything else planned, so I thought, 'why not?'"

I nodded, a small smile still on my face.

"Oh, this is Miles, by the way," he introduced, pointing to the blonde hair and blue eyed guy that had been standing next to him.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Adrianna."

"Nice to meet you too. I tell ya, I've been anticipating this party. I mean, the way Sam's been talking about you-"

He stopped talking when Sam's head snapped in his direction. After processing everything, I looked down to the ground, a smile plastered on my face.

'He was talking about me.'

"What Miles means is... that I've been talking about the party... a lot. A-and since Marci, your friend, is the host, you know... naturally... you came up in the discussion too."

"Of course," I nodded, trying to calm him down a bit.

"Umm, you guys can go inside. I have to deal with some stuff with Marci right now, so I'll talk to you later?" I suggested, mostly to Sam.

"Yeah, sure," he and Miles nodded, then headed towards the pool. I let out a sharp breath, a smile was still evident on my face.

'Okay, I've gotta find Marce.'

I walked through the main parts of the house, then I walked back outside to find her talking to Mark, her friend who was working the grill.

I grabbed her hand, pulling her away from her current conversation.

"He came," I said excitedly. Her eyes widened when she realized who 'he' was.

"Sam?" She asked for clarification, and I nodded my head quickly, a smile plastered on my lips.

"Ha! I told you! He so loves you," she assured me.

"He does not love me... but he was talking about me!" I exclaimed. She let out a high pitched squeal, and all I could do at that was laugh.

"So why the hell are you over here talking to me? Go talk to him," she announced, giving me a small push.

"No, I don't want to," I said meekly, my heels acting as brakes against the tile flooring.

"Why not?"

"Because...."

"Because what?" she pressed on.

"I don't know. I'm.... I'm just nervous."

"Well don't be. Just go up to him and say what's up."

"Well... I mean, I can't go now. I just told him that I was busy helping you," I said, trying to find an excuse.

Okay, alright. You're not gonna talk to him right now, but before the night is over, I'm gonna make sure you talk to him."

"Alright, fine. Whatever," I mumbled. She shook her head and laughed.

"Come on. I wanna see who's here and who's not," she said, pulling my hand to join her.

"That reminds me. I just talked to some guy, and he doesn't even know who you are."

"Did you know him?"

"Never seen him before in my life."

"Well, I'll just let him stay, cause if I kick him out now, he's bound to start some trouble outside. But I'll be making sure to watch who goes in and who goes out."

"That seems like a good idea."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was after nine o'clock now, and even though the doors had been closed for a while now, and there were about 200, if not more, people inside the house and around the pool. I sat on one of the beach chairs in front of the pool, watching the hectic scene in silence. Because of the heat, my halter dress was now acting as a strap less, revealing a little bit of my tiger print bathing suit. Marci sat beside me, her polka dot bathing suit top fully exposed. She idly held her first Corona in her hand, and a strawberry wine cooler was placed in my own.

"You know, I think I got a pretty good turnout for this thing," she stated with a smirk.

"I thought this would be considered an amazing turnout," I replied, which came out as more of a question than a statement.

"Oh, it is. I mean, there are people here who I don't even know. I'm just surprised the word spread so far."

"I guess."

"So?" She said after a moment of silence.

"So what?"

"Did you talk to Sam yet?"

"Not really...."

"What the hell is 'Not really?' That's a 'yes' or 'no' question," she stated, amusement evident in her voice.

"No... I didn't talk to him yet."

"Well why are you over here with me? Go talk to him," she sighed, exasperated.

"Why are you so stressed about this? I thought this was my business," I stated as a matter-of-factly.

"Because when I see people who are supposed to be together, and they're too

blind and dense to realize it-"

"Hey!"

"It just irritates me," she finished, ignoring my outburst.

"Ugh, whatever. I'm gonna get some food. You want?" I asked as I rose from my seat.

"Umm, can you get me some soda... and a piece of cake?"

I nodded, then walked to the food table that was set up next to the grill. Grabbing two plates for each of us, I got a hot dog and some potato chips on my plate, then I got a slice of ice cream cake and some chips and placed it on Marci's place. Filling two cups with Sprite, I balanced the two plates in one hand and the two cups in the other.

As soon as I turned around, something wet and cold came in contact with my upper chest. I backed up a bit, letting an involuntary gasp escape my lips. I looked down at my now ruined dress and saw a large circle on the upper part of my dress. Looking up, I saw the smug faces of the three girls who were giving me dirty looks earlier. Putting two and two together, I realized that the main girl, whatever the hell her name was, came up to me, and, for no apparent reason, threw a piece of ice cream cake on me.

I looked at her, astonishment, shock and anger washing over me all at the same time. Who the hell did she think she was? She obviously did not know who she was dealing with.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't see you," she said in a sickly sweet voice, which only agitated me more. A small crowd had formed around the scene, people anxiously waiting for the next move.

"Well, since you have it, mind telling me what it tastes like?" she giggled spitefully, which drew me over the edge. No longer caring, I slammed Marci's slice of cake in her face, watching as she stumbled back a few feet. The plate that was still stuck to her face fell off slowly, revealing her now chocolate and vanilla flavored icing covered face.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" I replied to her previous smartass statement. Before she could even say anything else, I threw both cups of soda in her face, watching as it cleared of some of the icing off and wetting her blonde bangs. Her friends had ducked to either side of her, eyes wide and looking between her and myself.

"There's something to wash it down with, bitch," I finished, moving to walk pass her and back to Marci. As soon as I was behind her, I felt a hard shove on my back, which sent me stumbling a few feet. I caught myself before I fell on the ground, and my head snapped back to where the girl was standing.

"Touch me again, and see what happens," I warned her. She was skating on thin ice right now, and I was ready to snap in a minute.

"What are you gonna do, hit me? "

"Keep talking and we'll see!" I replied, ready to pounce. By now, everyone was watching our little squabble, the music still playing loudly in the background.

"Who do you even think you are? You come here all of a sudden and act like you rule everything!"

"Rule what?! Do you even hear yourself right now?! What the fuck are you even talking about?!"

"You come and suddenly everyone has eyes for the new girl! Everyone wants to be with the new girl!" she shouted.

"Oh, okay. So this isn't because I'm, quote on quote, 'ruling everything.' This is because, apparently, you feel threatened by me. You know, it's not my fault you can't keep your man on a leash," I replied, smiling inside as I saw her get angrier at my comment.

"Please... as if anyone wants to be with you," she sneered in a disgusted tone. She moved closer in front of me. I had a sudden urge to push her back a feet or two, but I stopped myself.

"Well, if that was the case, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?" I asked her slyly. She pushed my shoulders back, sending me a feet or two backwards. My eyes flashed at her dangerously.

'Ambitious bitch, isn't she?'

"You know, maybe you need to be knocked down a pedestal or two!"

"I said... don't... touch me!" I exclaimed, pushing her back a few feet. After she got her footing back, she walked back in front of me, eyes wide.

"What are you gonna... do about it?!" She retorted, using her hand and pushing my forehead back.

That was the final straw. I lifted my right hand and back slapped her right across the cheek. Hard. I listened as the "oohhs" and "ooos" spread out throughout the crowd.

He head snapped back to my face, fury written all over it. The next thing I knew, she was jumping on me and sending us both flying into the pool.

I hadn't gone into the pool the whole night, and when I plunged into it, it was colder than I thought it would be. I quickly swam back up to the surface, gasping for air when I broke the surface.

The first thing I heard when I was back on top was the cheering coming from some of the guys. I shook my head, trying to shake some of my now soaking hair out of my face. As I was doing that, I felt something grab a handful of my hair and pull it hard.

I turned around as best as I could, and I could see the face of Blond Bitch. I couldn't grab her hair from my position, so I quickly moved my hand, slapping her for the second time that night. That made her let go for a second, but she just did the same thing once she got her composure back. For the next minute or so, that's all it was. Pulling hair, slapping face. Pull...slap...pull...slap...slap...pull...

The whole thing ended when I felt someone's arms grab me around the waist and pull my drenched body out of the pool. After they set me on the ground, I turned around and saw that it was David, one of Marci's friends who pulled me out. I turned around and looked into the pool, watching as the blond girl was pulling herself out of the pool.

Not wanting to deal with this anymore, I turned away from the scene and walked towards the direction of the house. As I made my way inside, everyone moved to either side of me, making a path as I walked. All I could do was shake my head and let out a laugh. I got inside and stopped in the kitchen. I placed both hands on the counter, closing my eyes and letting out a loud sigh. Before I knew it, Marce was right by my side.

"Hey, I kicked the bitch and her friends out, so you won't have to deal with them anymore."

"Wonderful," I replied sarcastically as released my grip on the counter. I walked over to the sink and took a handful of my hair into my hands, draining some of the water out.

"I have some clothes that you can borrow, if you want," she asked, obviously trying to get me out of my sour mood.

"I have some shorts that I brought in my bag, I only need a shirt."

"Sure thing. So.... you okay?" She pressed.

"Back at home, I didn't get into a single fight, and I lived there my whole life. I move here, and in a month, I'm wrestling in the pool with a bitch. I just love this town!" I exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from the latter statement, and I saw Marce shake her head, a smile on her face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"She's not back yet man," Sam said to Miles. "It's been about fifteen minutes already, and she's still not out of the house."

"Dude, I suggest you leave her alone before she kicks you ass too," Miles laughed as he drank from his Sprite can. "I mean, she effed that bitch up!"

"Shut up, Miles. You know what, I'm gonna find her. See how she is."

"Fine, whatever."

Sam stood up from where he was leaning on the wall and began to walk towards the house. He heard Miles shout "Don't get killed," and he shook his head with a laugh before walking into the house.

The first place he went to was the kitchen. He thought maybe she'd be in there cooling off, drinking a soda or something. When he didn't find her in there, he moved on to the living room. After looking in there, he started going upstairs. He didn't want to go too far into the building. He also didn't wanna get lost in the place.

'Ah well. If anyone asks, I was looking for the bathroom.'

He turned around a corner and saw both Adrianna and Marci coming out of, what he could only assume, was Marci's bedroom. Now, to say she looked even better than before was an understatement.

She was out of the black dress that she came in, and now she had on a pair of black jeans shorts, a loose white t-shirt and a checkered purple vest over it. Her damp hair was held up with two chopsticks, and it fell around her face, giving her a look, that could only be described as sexy.

"Sam!" she called out when she finally caught sight of his figure. He watched as Marci whispered something into her ear, and Adrianna playfully rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked away. "Nice shorts," she said , pointing to his swim trunks when she got to him.

"Oh. Thanks."

"What are you doing up here?"

"Oh, well, I just wanted to see how you were doing. You know, after the whole… incident."

"Well, I'm as fine as anyone can be after something like that."

"Yeah, I bet."

"I mean, I was so confused about the whole thing. Like, I don't even know the girl's name. That shows how confused I am," she explained as they began walking back downstairs.

"Do you even know why?"

"I don't even know. Something about her boyfriend, apparently. Cause that was all she kept on going on about."

"Wow. Well, are you alright?"

"Overall, yeah. I mean, she started the whole thing, and she thought I was gonna just stand there and do nothing. Want me to tell you what my Mom always tells me?"

"What's that?" Sam smiled a bit, glad that they were actually having a conversation.

"She's always told me, ever since I was a little kid, to Never go and start problems with anyone. But if they hit me first, eff them up."

"You're Mom says that?!"

"I swear to God. She said never be the first one to hit them, but if they hit you first, hit them back as hard as I can. She says even if I get suspended from school or something, she just wants to know that I didn't start it, and that I won," she laughed.

"That's crazy."

"Well, that's my Mom," she shrugged.

"Well look on the bright side. Miles loves you now."

"Your friend?"

"Yeah, he's been going on about how you beat up what's-her-face."

"Oh really?" she laughed.

"I'm serious," he convinced her with a smile.. They reached the glass doors that led to the pool, and Sam could see that she was hesitant to go back outside. "You know, you could just stay in here if you want. I mean, you don't have to go back out there."

"Nah, I'm gonna go back."

"You Sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know they're gonna be talking about me, but the way I see it is, They're gonna talk about me if I'm there or if I'm not. And I'd rather hear them say what a badass I am than _not_ hear them say what a coward I am for not coming back," she stated. Without looking back, she pushed the glass doors open and walked back outside, ready for the whispers and looks that would be sent her way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Marce, I really gotta go soon," I told Marci for about the tenth time. It was a little after one in the morning, and the party was beginning to die down. A few people were beginning to leave, and everyone else was just chilling and relaxing around the pool.

"No, no. You can't leave yet," she begged.

"But remember I have a curfew to keep. Last time I broke curfew I couldn't go out anywhere for a month. And that was painful. I almost died."

"That's not even that long."

"It's pretty long in New York," I retorted.

"Okay, just stay for a few more minutes, please?" she asked, putting on a puppy dog face. I let out a sigh before looking up at her.

"I'll stay for fifteen more minutes. And just so you know, it wasn't that puppy dog face that convinced me. I'm just a really good friend."

"Thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, attacking me in a bear hug. "Okay, come with me," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away.

"What do you even still need me here for?"

"We're gonna network. I just want you to meet some people I know." And for the next ten minutes, she dragged me around her house, meeting a bunch of her friends. I did get a few numbers from some of them. It would have lasted a whole fifteen minutes, but Marci introduced me to a couple, who, while I was in front of them, were looking me up and down and whispering stuff into each other's ears. In an effort to avoid another confrontation, I just rolled my eyes and walked inside.

I got my cell phone out of my purse and started dialing a number for a cab. The first couple of times, I heard busy signal. Then, when I actually got through, they told me that there was nothing available. I called two other cab companies, and I was not getting through to any of them. And quite frankly, I was getting frustrated.

"Marci!" I shouted from my spot in the kitchen. Within a few seconds, she was inside the house.

"What's wrong?"

"What is up with the cab service in this city? I've already called four cab companies, and they're all either busy or have nothing available."

"Hold on, lemme get a phone book," she said, disappearing from the kitchen and into another part of her house. I walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room to lie down on her couch.

"Okay, try these numbers," she said as she handed me a torn page of her phone book. Taking the piece of paper, I started dialing the numbers on my phone. After the first three said "nothing available," I was just fed up.

"You know, back at home, I could've had a cab in front of me in minutes. So there's obviously something wrong with this picture," I stated.

"Well, I never take taxis, so I wouldn't know."

"Well can you take me home?" I begged. I was desperately trying to make it before my curfew was up, and my current situation was making that task very difficult to complete.

"I can't really leave the house unattended. Sorry."

"I can give you a ride."

Upon hearing the new voice, Marci's eyes traveled behind the couch I was currently sprawled on, and I used my elbow to sit up and see what she was looking at. Sam, now wearing his jeans pants and a dark green hoodie, was standing in the entrance of the living room, his cell phone and keys in hand.

When neither of us spoke, he continued on. "You know, if you want, I'll just give you a lift. It's no problem."

"She'd appreciate that very much," Marci responded before I was even able to open my mouth. I shot her a look and rolled my eyes.

"But, what about your friend, Miles?" I asked as I got up from the couch and stood next to Marci. "I mean, didn't he come with you?"

"Oh, he has a ride already, so it's no worries."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want it to be a hassle for you or anything," I said sincerely. I was really happy that he asked, but I really didn't want him to go through the trouble.

"Yeah, sure. It's no problem," he nodded.

"Umm, okay then. Thanks. I'll be right back I just need to get something from Marci's room," I told him before casually grabbing Marci's arm and walking in the direction of her room. When we were out of sight and earshot, we both simultaneously broke out into a jog, hurrying to hr bedroom.

We closed the door as soon as we got in there, and I could see Marci about to scream or squeal, and I quickly held my finger to my lips and silently silenced her.

"Be quiet or he'll hear you," I warned her.

"I told you. I so told you!"

"Okay fine, you told me," I laughed.

"But what the hell was up with all the questions? What if he had taken it back?"

"look, I am honestly just as happy as you are, but that's just how I am. I don't like people going through trouble for me."

"My God, you're such a saint."

"Jeez, you say it like it's a bad thing," I chuckled.

"It's not, but being up here talking to me is! He's waiting for you!"

"Okay, okay. Let me just get my dress," I said, running into her bathroom and pulling the damp dress off the hook it was hanging on.

"Make sure you call me and tell me what happened," she told me.

"Of course I'll tell you. I don't want you having a heart attack because of me," I joked. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before playfully shoving me out of the room and towards the stairs.

"Sorry. I had to get my dress," I apologized as soon as I saw Sam.

"Nah, it's alright," he laughed a bit. I followed him as he walked out of the house and across the street to a yellow car with black stripes.

"Wow."

"What?" Sam asked upon hearing my voice.

"You are one of the very few people I know who owns a yellow car," I smiled. "Although, this car is a darkish yellow, opposed to the others that were bright yellow, so it works."

"Huh. Thanks," he smiled as he opened his door. After we both got in, he quickly pulled out of the spot and made his way down the street.

"What's your address?"

"It's 567 Rampson Avenue. You know it?"

"Is that next to Powell Avenue?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I know where it is," he replied, now making his way to my house.

"So, what kind of car is it?" I asked, easily making conversation.

"It's a… a '77 Camaro."

"1977? Wow. That's a classic. My… my, umm, Dad would have been happy to get his hand on that."

"What? He's big on cars?" he asked as he sent a quick glance my way.

"Yeah, but he won't collect the new ones. He wants all the classics. Like right now, he has an old school Ferrari and a classic Mustang. He really wants one of the older Porsche for his collection."

"I wish I had a Porsche."

"Well, this is just your first car, right? I mean, my Mom wouldn't buy me a Porsche for my first car."

"Yeah, but the day I went to buy this, my dad drove through the lot where they sold Porsches. And I thought he was serious. Five seconds later, he tells me it's a joke."

I laughed at his sad, but funny story. "Damn, that's… that's kinda messed up."

"Yeah. It was. Do I make a right here?" he asked as we reached an intersection.

"Yup. My house is on the next block," I replied, surprised that we got here so fast.

"Aright, tell me when to stop," he said as he pulled up to the curb.

"Ok, stop… right here." He stopped in front of the path and turned off the engine. "And it's not even two o'clock yet, so I'm not grounded," I sighed, relieved.

"Thank you so much for the ride," I said as I unbuckled my seat belt. "And I'm sorry we didn't get to really talk that much tonight. I mean, I know I invited you and all, but with everything that happened tonight, it was just…" I struggled to find the right words to say. "Well, I'm just sorry."

"No, it's okay. I mean, you had a lot to deal with today," he reasoned. I nodded my head, happy that he understood.

"Well, you know… we could… go out sometime if you want. I mean, when you're free and you have the time, of course."

A small smile slowly made it's way on my lips as I looked at him. It was half because he asked me out and half because he was so nervous, and it made him so cute.

"Umm, what day did you have in mind… exactly?" I smiled.

**AN: Okay, I'm not even gonna waste time with a big excuse why this took so long, but I am honestly sorry I took so long to get it out. However, now that I have my own laptop, I promise that this will never happen again.**

**Now, this is a very long chapter, and there was a section that I wasn't too happy about the outcome, but overall, I think it came out pretty good. I hope I stayed in character with Sam and Miles and Trent, and if I didn't, message and tell me what to work on. I'll accept them all and put them into consideration.**

**Now, I know there was some cursing in this one, but I was being as realistic as possible. When a person gets into a fight, they're gonna curse and have a fit, so don't be offended, because I was trying to be realistic. **

**Seeing as how this it following the storyline of the first movie, there is either going to be 1 or 2 more chapters (probably only 1) until we actually get into the storyline of the movie. I will be working a little bit everyday to get these out fast.**

**Well, I think that's it. And once again, I am sorry for the long wait and I hope all of you will forgive me.**

**Sincerely,**

**PoisonLipz**


	4. Exciting

'Where is my special purple scarf?' I asked myself as I searched through my closet. It had been about a week since Marci's party and almost a week since Sam asked me out. Today was the date. And I was a little bit stressed. And nervous. And happy. And excited.

"Why can't I find that scarf?" I spoke again, frustrated. Sam was going to be here in a matter of minutes, and I wasn't ready yet. Temporarily forgetting about the scarf, I pulled on a long white tank top and a pair of Bermuda jeans shorts. Quickly moving to my mirror, I brushed through my hair and held it up in a high ponytail. I applied a little smoky eyeliner and a peach colored lip gloss. Pulling my bangs to the side, I exhaled loudly, satisfied. I looked simple, but pretty.

My mom was still at work, which meant I was the only one in the extremely quiet house at the moment. So when I heard my cell phone ring, I jumped at the disturbance. I chuckled to myself before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Adrianna. It's me, Sam."

"Oh, Hi Sam," I smiled immediately.

"Hey. Yeah, I was calling to tell you that I'll be at your house in about… five minutes. Probably less than that," he informed me.

"Okay then, see you soon."

"Alright." I hung op the phone, then ran to my closet, getting on my knees and looking for a pair of shoes to wear. I immediately saw the end of my scarf, which was dangling from one of my hangers.

"Oh Yes!" I cheered silently to myself as I grabbed the scarf and threw it on my bed. I was about to find some shoes when the doorbell rang from downstairs.

"Damn, that was fast," I said as I walked out the room and ran downstairs. I pulled open the door, and it wasn't Sam.

"Adrianna Nadal?" asked the postman.

"Yes."

"Sign here please?"

I silently took the digital clipboard and signed my name as neat as I could. Handing it back to him, he handed me a small cardboard box. I looked it over and saw no name on it at all.

"Have a good day, miss," he smiled as he began to leave.

"Thanks, you too." I closed the door and looked at the small box in my hand. I had a real urge to open it, but Sam was going to be here soon, so I decided to put that on hold. I'd open it after my date.

Running back up to my room, I placed the box on my night table. I went back into my closet and pulled out a pair of black gladiator sandals. After I finished buckling the second shoe, the doorbell rang for an second time that day. I walked back down, but this time, I stumbled on my way down and ended up running the rest of the way. I got to the bottom and grabbed the banister to steady myself, and I just burst out laughing for a good minute and a half. I was broken out of my laughing fit when I heard the doorbell ring for the second time. Standing up straight, I shook myself a little bit before walking to the door.

"Hi Sam," I said when I opened the door, a smile still on my face and a little laughter still in my voice.

"Hey. What's, uhh…"

"I tripped on my way downstairs. I'm still laughing about it," I giggled.

"Oh. Are you-"

"Yeah. I didn't hurt myself or anything. Here, come on in," I said, moving away from the door. He walked inside, and I watched as he looked around, observing everything he could see.

"Sorry I'm not ready yet, I only need a few more minutes," I told him as I made my way back up the stairs.

"Yeah, sure. It's cool." I got to the middle of the stairs when I realized that he wasn't following me. Turning around and looking down, I saw that he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and he kept cautiously glancing around.

"Oh, don't worry. You can come up to my room. I'm the only one here. I promise my mom's not gonna pop out and taser you or anything," I smiled.

"I hope not," he chuckled, now following me up the stairs. It was a short and silent walk up to my room. I hurriedly grabbed my purse and threw in all the necessities: wallet, cell phone, keys, lip gloss, I-Pod… no, not I-pod.

"You play tennis?" Sam asked as he looked at the three trophies that were on my shelf.

"Yeah. I've played since I was six. My mom thought it was a good way to keep me active and out of trouble. But it's not like I don't like it. I love playing." I heard him mutter a small 'Oh' before I ducked into the closet to get my leather jacket.

"You have a trophy for arching?" he asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" I whined.

"No, no. I'm not. I promise. It's just an odd sport to win a trophy for, that's all."

"Well, tell that to my old school. Arching was a part of my gym class for a semester, and my gym teacher suggested that I sign up for some arching program. I mean, not to brag or anything, but I have kick-ass aim. I could hit a target from a mile away."

"Well then I guess I better not get on your bad side. You might just end up shooting me," he joked.

"Nah, I wouldn't shoot you. You're too nice," I chuckled softly. Finding what I was looking for, I grabbed my black leather jacket out of the closet and threw it on. Grabbing my scarf off the bed, I wrapped it loosely around my neck.

"Okay. Now I'm ready," I announced as I grabbed my purse and walked out the room. I closed my door after Sam got out and followed him as he made his way downstairs. We exited the house and I quickly locked my door before getting inside his car.

"You look nice, by the way," he said as he strapped on his seat belt.

Thank you," I smiled.

"So, you play anything else? Besides tennis, I mean," he asked as we began driving.

"Not, professionally, no. But, I play hockey and football, and I am _really_ good at both."

"Really?"

"Yup. And, it's so funny, because back at home, me and a whole bunch of other people invented ice football."

"Ice football?" he almost laughed.

"Because one day, we got together, and half of us brought hockey sticks and pucks, and the other half brought footballs. So, since it was gonna take a long time to go back and get what we needed, we went to the hockey rink, and we got our ice skates and everything on, and we played football, on ice," I laughed.

"Wow, that's crazy," he laughed.

"I know. It was so hard at first, but once you get your feet steady, it is sooo much fun. But I got so many bruises on my arms, my legs, my side. I was sore all over for like, a week."

"Wow, that sounds… painful. Painful but fun," he laughed.

"So what about you?"

"What about me?" he smiled.

"I know nothing about you except that you're in most of my classes, your best fiend's name is Miles, and, apparently, you're into vintage cars," I stated.

"Okay then, ask me anything, and I'll answer you, but on one condition."

"What's that?" I asked, leaning forward and placing my chin in my palm.

"You have to answer all my questions too," he proposed, taking a quick glance away from the road to look at me.

"Hmm… you sure drive a hard bargain Mr. Witwicky. For all I know you can ask me my deepest, darkest secret." He smiled and shook his head while he focused on the road. "But, I think I'm willing to take that risk," I smiled.

"Okay, go ahead."

"Okay, well have you lived here all your life?"

"Yeah. Everyone in this town has grown up together. We've all known each other from elementary school to middle school to high school."

"That's different from me. My high school was different than my middle school."

"Where are you from?"

"I lived in New York for my whole life. So moving to a place like this was a big transition for me."

"How so?"

"Well, where I lived, was much bigger than here. I mean you could literally find something new to do everyday."

"Really?"

"Yup. Where are we even going? You never told me."

"Well, you did say you were looking for some excitement, so I'm gonna take you somewhere exciting," he explained. I looked at him for a minute, trying to figure out where we were going.

"We're going to Six Flags."

"There's no Six Flags remotely close to here," he chuckled.

"Okay, then we're going to an amusement park."

"Umm, no," he laughed nervously.

"Yes we are! Yes we are! You hesitated, which means I hit the nail right on the head! Ha!"

"Okay, okay, but you don't know which amusement park this is," he reasoned, still glad that he would be able to surprise me.

"Okay then. At least tell me the name."

"Adventuredome."

"We have that in New York."

"That's impossible, considering there's only one of these places in the whole world, and it's here."

"Oh, you're right. I'm thinking of this place in Suffolk County called 'Adventureland.'"

"That's in, uh, New York too?" he asked. I nodded in reply.

"What's it like over there? In New York, I mean?"

A small smile made its way on my lips as I thought of one word to describe "The Big Apple." it was impossible to describe it to someone through words. It had to be experienced. That's how wonderful it was.

"Just amazing. And fun and exciting and spectacular. I lived there my whole life with my Mom and my, um, Dad. It was so hard for me to imagine leaving it at first, but eventually, I got okay with it, and it wasn't as hard."

"Well why'd you have to move in the first place?"

"Because my Mom was offered a promotion, and if she accepted, that meant she would be her own boss. But it also meant she would have to relocate to the office down here," I explained.

"So where was your Dad during all of this?"

"He… was not at all supportive. He was just for himself."

"I'm sorry. Was that too much?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road for a minute to look at me.

"No, no. it's okay. It's not even that serious. I don't care."

"You have any siblings?"

"Nope. It's just me. I, uh, actually had a baby brother like a year after I was born, but something went wrong during the delivery, so he passed away."

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly, taking his eyes off the road for a quick second to glance my way.

"Don't be. I mean I never even got to know him, and I think that's better because if I did know him, it would hurt a lot more."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What about you?"

"What?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Nah. It's just me and my parents. And Mojo."

"Mojo?" I laughed a bit.

"Yeah. My dog."

"I always wanted a kitten."

"Ew."

"Oh my gosh! What the hell does 'ew' mean? I love cats."

"Cats are, like, freakishly evil."

"Cats are only evil if you piss them off. Especially the girl ones."

"Either way they're gonna scratch and bite like hell."

We went back and forth like this until we got to the amusement park. The topics varied from what we were going to major in when we get to college to why all the models in the world have to be freakishly tall. He kept me smiling and/or laughing for the whole car ride. The whole thing was just very refreshing and fun.

"Is this the place?" I asked as he drove past two black gates that stood in front of a circular building.

"Yeah. It's much better than it looks, I promise," he smiled.

We were quiet as he pulled into the parking lot and searched for a spot. It took him a few minutes, but he finally found a spot and we were able to go in. We took the elevator from the parking lot and made our way up to the park.

When the doors to the elevator opened, it was a frenzy of people and noise. All I could hear was music and the voices of a bunch of people all talking at once. Screams form people on rides could also be heard in the distance.

"Wow. It's bigger than I thought."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be smaller since it was indoors,' I stated as we walked up to the ticket booth.

"Okay, it's $25 for a full day pass, so-"

"I'll pay for my half."

"No, that's okay, I got it," he insisted.

"No, that's fifty dollars. I don't want you to have to pay the whole thing."

"But, you know, that's not very chivalrous if I make you pay," he pressed.

I thought for a minute before responding. "Okay, how about this… I'll give you $15 for the wristbands, then later when you take me out to eat, you can pay for the whole thing. That way you can be chivalrous and I still help pay. And you have to make me help you pay for something or else I'm gonna feel really bad."

"Okay, fine. That's fair enough," he smiled, hardly thinking about the money anymore. He was just happy that she insisted on him taking her out to eat afterwards.

After handing Sam the fifteen dollars, I waited for him to buy the wristbands. When he returned, I held out my wrist and he strapped on the wristband. After he was done with my own, I did the same for him.

"So, what do you want to go on first?" he asked as we walked deeper inside the park.

"Well, I was gonna say the roller coaster, but then I saw the 'slingshot,' and I definitely want to go on that first," I said, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling him towards the ride. The line was pretty short, so we didn't have to wait too long to get on the ride.

"Aww, we're gonna be sitting next to each other but I won't be able to see you," I pointed out as we got strapped in our seats.

"At least you can still hear me."

I smiled as one of the attendants came around and made sure we were secured in. All the workers walked out of the gate, and one of them walked behind the controls.

"Give me your hand," I told Sam as we waited for the ride to start. He lifted his hand and I was able to entwine my manicured hand with his own.

"If I can't see you, at least I can hear you and feel that you're there," I said. I heard him chuckle and he gripped my hand tighter.

"You nervous?"

"Me? Nervous? Of course not," he exhaled.

"You know, you can get off before the ride starts," I teased.

"Well if I did that, then I wouldn't be able to hear you scream."

"Please. I can't wait to here you scream!" I laughed.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Slingshot. Please keep your feet in and your hands on the bars and hold on tight," the announcer said over the PA system. Everyone got ready for the ride.

"3.… 2.…"

I didn't get to finish counting, because the ride shot up in the air. I didn't scream, but I held my breath the entire time. I wanted to laugh because I could hear Sam screaming like crazy, but I just held my breath and watched the view as we got to the top. The thrill was amazing. Unlike most people, I didn't get scared. I got excited. It was such a rush. It was breathtakingly wonderful.

* * *

"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun," I said to Sam as we drove farther away from the amusement park.

"I think we went on every single ride twice," he smiled.

"Yeah, and you almost made me deaf on each of those rides!"

"I was not screaming that loud. I know I wasn't."

"Sam, you sounded like a five year old girl," I laughed. He shook his head and smiled while paying attention to the road.

"So, what's on the agenda now?" I asked, stretching out my legs.

"Now… we get something to eat," he stated as we pulled into the parking lot of what appeared to be a diner. After parking the car, we walked out of the lot and into the restaurant.

It was fairly old fashioned, with booths set up all around and a bar in the middle. There were two pool tables set up and a jukebox in the corner. It was very classy. Almost like something you would see out of _Grease_.

We both walked inside and we took a window booth in the back. I took off my jacket and purse and placed it next to me as Sam sat in the seat across from me.

"This place is nice. What's the mane?" I asked.

"It's Applebees, actually," he replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's one of the first ones they opened. They came up with the whole '50s theme, and it kind of stuck," he explained as he handed me one of the menus. I nodded my head as I read through the list of foods.

"Hello. My name is Elliot, and I will be your server for today. Do you guys know what you want to drink yet?" one of the waiters came up and recited to us, as if it was embedded in his memory.

"Yeah, can I get a… strawberry fizzer, please?" I asked.

"Sure thing. And you?"

"I'll have the cherry limeade, thanks," Sam ordered. Elliot scribbled it down on his pad and walked away to get our drinks. Just then, my purse started vibrating. I unzipped it and pulled out my Blackberry.

"It's my Mom," I announced.

"Oh, do you want me to…"

"No, it's okay, thanks," I smiled before pressing the talk button. "Hey Mommy."

"Hey Honey. I'm gonna be home a little late today. I have a lot of stuff to finish up at the office before I leave."

"Okay, that's fine."

"Are you okay by yourself?"

"I'm not at home. I had a date today, remember?"

"Oh, Oh right. With Sam."

"Yeah, that's the one," I smiled, surprised and pleased that she remembered his name.

"Okay then. So what time are you gonna be home?" she asked, with a rather suspicious tone.

"Well, we're eating right now, and it's about nine o'clock. So I should be home by… eleven o'clock? 11:30 at the most."

"Okay then. I should be home by 12. Oh, and remember tomorrow is the brunch with the company execs. And you promised you would go with me."

"Aww, is that tomorrow? Mommy, that's gonna be so boring!"

"I know, but it's gonna be twice as boring if I go by myself. And you promised to go with me, sweetie."

"I know, I know. I don't mind going to the place. I just hate the fact that I'm gonna have to be sitting with a bunch of snooty little bit-"

"Language, young lady," she warned. I watched as Sam smiled, laughing over my almost outburst.

"Sorry. Whatever, I'll go."

"Thank you, honey. I'll see you at home."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

"What was that about?" Sam asked as soon as I was off the phone.

"Something," I sighed, "I have to go to tomorrow. My Mom's company is having this brunch thing, and the big executives and their immediate family members are invited. And as I was telling my Mom, it's gonna be a whole bunch of fake people."

"Here are your drinks," the waiter Elliot announced as he came over and placed the two glasses on the table. "And have you decided on what you wanna eat?"

"Yeah, I'll have the Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger, and a side of fries," Sam said.

"Okay… and you?" he asked directing his attention to me. I couldn't help but notice the seductive look he gave me.

"Yeah…" I drawled, frowning a bit. "I'll have the…chicken platter without the cole slaw, please," I said, handing him the menu. I directed my attention back to Sam as he walked back to the kitchen.

"What were we talking about?" I asked.

"This brunch that you have to go to tomorrow," Sam reminded me.

"Right. So, I have to wake up extra early to get ready tomorrow to go and hand out with people I don't even know."

"Wow, that kinda sucks," he chuckled.

"It really does," I groaned.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it won't be that bad."

I shrugged my shoulder and watched as our food came. Elliot quickly placed both our dishes in front of us.

"Enjoy your food. And…call if you need anything," he said, the last part directed towards me. I chuckled and shook my head a bit. Both Sam and I stayed quiet for a while as we took the first few bites of our food.

"Hey… do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Sam asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, go ahead," I said, chewing on a fry.

"And, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, okay?" he assured me. I nodded.

"What exactly happened between you and your Dad? I mean… it just seems like a bit more than you're mad at him for leaving your Mom."

I stopped chewing for a second, processing what he had asked me. I frowned a bit, not wanting to talk about bit.

"I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

"No, no. It's okay. Umm… I… you want me to start from the beginning?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a small nod.

"Okay…well, back in New York… there was… a lifestyle that we lived by. I don't know if that makes sense, but it was how everyone lived. I went to private school my entire life, so me and my friends were pretty rich. We never actually got time to spend with our families because all of our parents had a really important job. So instead of actually caring for their children, they would just give them money to go spend. It was an easy way to get their kids off their backs.

"Me and my Mom tried really hard not to live like that. Every weekend we would try to go shopping together, or go to the spa together. She tried to be in my life as much as possible. My Dad, was the complete opposite. I feel like he tried to stay out of my life as much as possible. I love hockey and football, so I would get tickets to hockey games and football games just so that we could spend time together. He always seemed up to it at first, but he never committed to it. He would always eventually buy me some expensive gift or give me money to go shopping, thinking that it would make everything better. And it didn't.

"Naturally, if my Dad and I didn't spend time together, he wasn't spending time with my Mom either. I mean, I was a teenager. I wasn't stupid. I knew they weren't getting along, and it was just getting worse and worse. They finally had 'the fight' on my Mom's birthday. It was the day when she found out that she got the promotion. She told my Dad about it, and he flipped out on her. I just remembered him saying a whole bunch of shitty stuff, saying crap like 'If you loved me, you would stay,' and a whole bunch of other crap.

"I was supposed to be at something that night, I think it was a party, but I hadn't left yet, and I heard the whole thing. They didn't know that I was upstairs, they thought they were alone. In the… in the middle of the argument, the subject of who would have custody of me came up… and I remember hearing my Mom say, "There's no way in hell that I am going to leave my daughter behind. So what are you gonna do?" My Dad… in response to that said, "You can have her. I don't want her, and I'm not leaving. After I heard that, everything else was just blurred. Like, I couldn't believe he had just said that. So… that's what happened."

"Wow. I… I'm sorry. I don't really know what to say."

"It's not your fault. But, I've got to admit, I'm surprised that your so observant. You're the first person who's ever noticed that there's something deeper than it just being, 'My parents are divorced.'"

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Well, look at the bright side."

I waited for him to say what the 'bright side' was, but he just looked at me.

"What's the Bright side?"

"I don't know. But my Dad says that all the time, and even if there isn't a bright side, you end up feeling good anyway."

I looked at him and laughed. It was a genuine laugh, and it lightened the mood that was set from the previous conversation. "See? I just made you laugh. Now you feel a whole lot better than you did before."

"I do, actually," I smiled.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just need to use the bathroom first."

"Okay. Do you want me to make them put your leftovers in a container so you could take it home?" he asked as I got up from my seat, grabbing my jacket and purse in the process.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll meet you at the front door okay?" I suggested. I watched him nod before I turned around and headed towards the bathroom. I took care of everything I needed to, making sure to check my hair and face before leaving. After putting on a little lip gloss, I walked outside only to come face-to-face with Elliot- the waiter.

"Hey there, babe."

"Your obviously not talking to me, cause last time I checked, my name isn't 'babe.'"

"Well what would you like me to call you? Sexy? Smokin' hot-"

"You need to let me pass. Now," I said in a firm voice and attempting to walk past him, but every path I took, he stepped in front and blocked me. I exhaled through my nose, looking up in the sky, then looking back at him.

"How old are you anyway?" he asked, moving a little bit closer. I instinctively moved a step back.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 20."

"Well let me put it this way. I'm _young_ enough for it to be considered Statutory rape," I stated, crossing my hands over my chest. He smirked, and moved closer in an attempt to trap me between his body and the wall.

"It's not like anyone has to find out about-"

"I think she just said that she's not interested," Sam intervened. I couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief.

"Look kid, if I were you, I'd beat it, now," Elliot said, turning away from me and staring Sam dead in the eyes.

"Is that so? Well if I were you, I'd back off. I don't think your boss would approve of you harassing female customers. What do you think?" I watched as Elliot looked him up and down, but Sam just walked passed him and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, squeezing my hand as we walked in the cool night's air.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little annoyed and irritated," I said, sliding on my leather jacket. "Thank you."

"Of course," he smiled, opening my car door and closing it after I got inside.

The ride back to my house was fairly quiet. It was mainly because I was exhausted from the day, but Sam would sneak a glance my way every moment.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm hmm… just tired, I guess."

He let out a small 'oh' before focusing on the road again. The rest of the ride was full of small talk. Nothing too serious came up. It was just talking about stuff that wasn't too important. That lasted for about twenty minutes until we got to the front of my house. I unbuckled my seatbelt, grabbing my purse and watching Sam from the corner of my eye. It was the end of the date, and I could feel the nervousness coming off of his body.

"You gonna walk me to my door?" I asked with a smile.

"Oh. Umm, Yeah, sure," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt quickly. I was about to open the door when the radio started playing "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. I narrowed my eyes and looked at Sam. He shrugged his shoulders, and all I could do was laugh before stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut. I could hear him messing with the radio and trying to shut it off. When it finally went silent, I immediately heard his car door open and close with a thud.

It took a few seconds for us to walk up my path, and I quickly found my keys and opened the door, allowing us to both step inside. I turned around to face Sam, who was standing in front of the door.

"So…" he began, rocking on his heels. It was so cute to see him so nervous. It made him look so adorable.

"First, I want to sat thank you for today. It was a lot of fun. I really needed it. It was very… refreshing."

"Yeah, sure. It was no problem," he smiled. "Oh, before I forget…" he said handing me my bag with the leftover food. I looked inside and saw two containers in there.

"Your food is in here too-"

"No. I, uh.. I bought you a slice of cake when you were gone. I-I tried it before, and I thought you would like it."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." he nodded with a smile. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"Umm… I don't think so."

"Then… do you wanna hang out? I mean, after my brunch thing is over?"

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds great," he grinned.

I smiled and watched as his face became unsure. He was contemplating what he was gonna do to end the date. After a few seconds, he held out his hand for me to shake. I could see the anxious look on his face, wondering if he did the right thing.

I simply smiled and moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around him. He followed my movement and hugged me back. It was a nice, warm hug that lasted a while. When we started to pull away, I gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Get home safe. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll see you later," he said as he began waking outside. I watched him as he made his way down to his car, and I gave him one final smile and wave before watching him drive off.

I closed the door and locked it before walking to the kitchen and placing the leftovers in the fridge. I grabbed a fork and the cake and walked up to my bedroom. Putting the cake to the side, I took out my laptop and placed it on my bed, turning the power on. I changed into a pair of silk purple pajamas while waiting for it to load. I quickly went to the bathroom and washed my hands before returning to my bed, switching on the webcam and looking for Marci's name. I saw she was online and clicked her name, waiting for her window to pop up.

"Oh my gosh! You're back! Tell me everything!!" she screamed before I could even say 'hi.' I took a bite of my chocolate cake, getting ready for a long night.

_**Oh my gosh! I can't believe I got this out on a weekday. That almost never happens, so you guys should be proud of me.**_

_**I know a lot of people must hate me for taking so long, but my life has been extremely stressful for the past four months. There has just been a lot of pressure forced on me, and I'm always trying to please everyone. So I ask you guys to please forgive me.**_

_**I want to thank all of the people who have messaged me, alerted me, or reviewed my story. You don't know how good it feels to hear from you guys. You all inspire me and push me to write more, so thank you very much for the love and support. **_

_**I really like how this chapter came put. I was a little iffy with it at first, but I liked where everything went. I hope I kept Sam in character. I'm always afraid that the person I'm writing about doesn't fit the person they were in the movie. Anyway, If you liked it, or hated it, leave comments and messages and let me know what you liked or disliked. I am very sensitive when it comes to criticism, and I tend to take things personally sometimes, so I'm not asking you to tell me that you hated the chapter. I'm asking you to tell me if you didn't like some parts of it, and if not, explain why. That's all I ask.**_

_**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I am working on the next chapter, and the movie storyline will begin from there. You guys should expect that by New Years or early January.**_

_**For now, Tata.**_

_**PoisonLipz**_


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